Covington County AlArchives Biographies.....Knowles, William T. October 1832 - living in 1893
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Ann Anderson alabammygrammy@aol.com May 17, 2004, 7:44 pm
Author: Brant & Fuller (1893)
WILLIAM T. KNOWLES, farmer and timberman of Beat No. 2, was born at Clay
Hill, Pike county, Ala., in October, 1832. He is a son of Richard and Martha
Jane (Oliver) Knowles, the former a native of Georgia, and the latter of Ora,
Laurens county, S. C. Both of these people came with their respective parents to
Alabama at an early day, married in Pike county, and removed Coffee county in
1842, where Mr. Knowles died in September, 1890, lacking only twenty days of
being one hundred years old. His wife died in 1886. She was a member of the
Missionary Baptist church from her youth up. Mr. Knowles was a prosperous farmer
all his life, always industrious, enterprising, and active in public affairs;
courteous, genial and generous till his death. He was one of a family of five
sons and three daughters born to Richard Linsey Knowles, a Georgian by birth who
at an early day removed to Alabama, settling at Clay Hill where he died before
the war. He was a wealthy planter, was a self-made man, though uneducated, and
of Irish parentage. His wife also died at Clay Hill. William Oliver, Mather of
our subject on the mother's side, was raised an orphan boy in South Carolina. He
married in this state and came to Pike county, Ala., and thence to Montgomery
county, where he died, at a great age, after the war. He was a wealthy planter,
was in the Indian war with Mr. Knowles, and raised a large family. He was
married twice, and both wives died in Montgomery county. William T. Knowles was
the eldest of four sons and six daughters, only five of whom are living, the
subject being the only one in this county. He was reared on the farm, and at the
age of seventeen engaged in teaming for his father, with whom he remained until
he was twenty-two years of age. In 1855 he married Matilda, daughter of Allen
Daniel, a Georgian. Mrs. Knowles had two children, and died in Coffee county
before the war. These children were Richard, and Willie Elizabeth, wife of
Jasper Thompson. Mr. Knowles was married, the second time, to Pollie E.,
daughter of Bradford C. and Mary Carter, both natives of Georgia, whence they
removed to Coffee county, Ala., and where Mr. Carter died in 1888, Mrs. Carter
is still living. Mrs. Knowles was born in Georgia and is the mother of six
children. The first and second born died in infancy; William; Florence; Horace;
Clara. In July, 1861, Mr. Knowles joined company B, of Hilliard's legion, and
spent three months at Montgomery, and then some months at Chattanooga. He went
then to Knoxville and Cumberland Gap, then through the Kentucky campaign and
back to Knoxville and to Missionary Ridge. He then went to Virginia with
Longstreet and fought in the Wilderness and at the siege of Petersburg. He was
captured at Hatcher's Run thirteen days before the surrender of Lee, and was a
prisoner at Point Lookout three months and thirteen days, when he was discharged
at Mobile, and returned to his home. He was never wounded in the whole time of
his service, although he participated in many hard fought battles and
skirmishes. He then engaged in farming in Coffee county about a year, and then
in milling at Greenville about a year, then in Wilcox county one year, and then
in Conecuh county a year. Since then he has been engaged in the same business in
Covington county, and for twenty-one years at his present location. His business
has been all this time, farming, milling and cutting timber. He owns about 5,000
acres of timber land individually, and owns in connection with James A.
Prestwood about 1,600 acres of timber land. Mr. Knowles started in life after
the war with nothing and is now one of the most extensive land owner in the
county. He has been active and industrious and has always given strict attention
to his own affairs. He was a justice of the peace for eighteen years
consecutively until 1890, when he declined longer service. He has never sought
office. One of the peculiarities of Mr. Knowles is that he has never shaved, and
during the war he never had his hair cut, and at the close of the conflict it
extended below his waist. Mr. Knowles is a member of the Missionary Baptist
church, and is one of the reliable and substantial men of the county.
Additional Comments:
from "Memorial Record of Alabama", Vol. I, p. 751-752
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